UFC 136 main card fight-by-fight preview

UFC 136 is a stacked card on paper, but will the
four-fight main card deliver?

Saturday night the UFC delivers one of its biggest fight cards of all-time. Two title fights headline UFC 136 not to mention the highly anticipated return of Chael Sonnen. Let’s take a look at each fight one by one:

Melvin Guillard vs. Joe Lauzon (lightweight bout): Guillard is looking for his sixth straight win, third in 2011, and possibly put himself into title talk. Lauzon on the other hand is looking to follow up his submission win in June with a win in his first PPV bout in almost a year. Guillard has much to lose and Lauzon has to prove that he is the real deal in the lightweight division. Guillard will try to end this fight with strikes, but if Lauzon takes it to the ground the momentum will belong to him.

Chael Sonnen vs. Brian Stann (middleweight bout): After a loss to Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva and positive tests of elevated testosterone levels, Sonnen is looking to prove that he is a legitimate title contender and deserving of another title shot. Stann, who has three previous fights at middleweight, has only two losses in his UFC career and hopes a win against Sonnen would prove him worthy of a title shot. Both fighters have won fights by (T)KO and submission, so this is truly a fight where anything can happen.

Jose Aldo vs. Kenny Florian (featherweight title bout): Aldo hasn’t lost in over six years, Florian is fighting just his second bout at featherweight. These two are very evenly matched, both use similar technique and have very good awareness in the octagon. Aldo’s experience as a featherweight might make him the favorite, but something tells me Florian will be the stronger, more powerful fighter of the two. I really see this fight going the full five rounds and neither fighter in any serious danger of being submitted or KO’d until the championship rounds.

Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard (lightweight title bout): The first fight went to Maynard, the second was a questionable draw that resulted in Edgar keeping his title and the third fight should be another classic. This is the more anticipated title fight of the two on this card. There is a lot of bad blood between these two considering how their last encounter ended. I expect both fighters to come out on fire and looking to put a quick end to the fight. Neither is known to really end fights soon, so it is likely this goes the distance. However, something tells me Maynard will not want to leave the fight in the hands of the judges. 

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